The Green LA Coalition and Green LA Transportation Working Group are excited to share the following victory with you.

Wilshire Bus Only Lane Victory at Los Angeles City Council

Two more steps - then it gets built!

Photo courtesy of LA Times

Wilshire Boulevard is the most heavily used bus corridor in Los Angeles with lines running every couple of minutes, where tens of thousands of passengers endure lengthy and crowded rides. To streamline and speed commutes from MacArthur Park to Centinela Avenue at the eastern edge of Santa Monica, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to construct bus-only lanes along 7.7 miles of that stretch. Officials estimate that it will shave 11 minutes off a nearly one-hour trip. (Source: The LA Times)

"The Green LA Transportation Working Group and all its members have played a critical role in the success of today!" said Sunyoung Yang of the Bus Riders Union and Green LA Coalition. She added, "It's a real breakthrough. The city has taken a huge step forward to prioritize transit over single-passenger automobiles." The bus-only lane on Wilshire Blvd. will cut up to 20 minutes of rush-hour commuting for 100,000 passengers. With the implementation of the first such dedicated lane, Green LA is seeking to implement a countywide network of bus-only lanes on all major bus transit corridors in Los Angeles County.

The original proposal called for 8.7 miles of the special lanes, but a one-mile section west of Beverly Hills known as Condo Canyon was excluded after residents and some officials said the lanes were not necessary in that section.

The Council have added language asking the Metro Board of Directors to restore a one-mile segment of bus lanes through the Condo Canyon area of Westwood to help workers reach their jobs faster. If the MTA reverses course, the project could return to the council for a new vote. (Source: The LA Times)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Metro must approve the same project to be eligible for $23.3 million in funding for the bus-only lanes from the Federal Transit Administration. (Source: The LA Times)